Wembanyama drops 52, draws Wilt comparisons in historic night

Victor Wembanyama draws Wilt comparison after 52-point game.

The San Antonio Spurs center delivered a performance Wednesday night that hadn't been seen in the NBA since the early 1960s.

Wembanyama finished with 52 points, 24 rebounds, and 8 blocks in a 112-111 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

The last player to reach those three marks in a single game was Wilt Chamberlain in 1961.

Teammate Dylan Harper did not hold back when asked about the comparison.

“He basically Wilt,” Harper said after the game.

The win pushed the Spurs to a 6-2 record and extended their winning streak to six games after an 0-2 start to the season.

Wembanyama shot 16-of-28 from the field and 19-of-23 from the free-throw line, including the game-winning free throw.

He also recorded two assists, two steals, and just one turnover.

The only weakness in his stat line was from beyond the arc: he went 1-of-8 on three-point attempts.

But in every other facet of the game, he dominated.

The matchup drew extra attention because the floor was shared by Wembanyama and Cooper Flagg, the 19-year-old Mavericks rookie whom many project as a future face of the league.

Flagg ended the night with 19 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and one turnover on 7-of-19 shooting from the field and 0-of-3 from deep.

He started the game 1-of-11 from the floor.

Wembanyama blocked Flagg twice and scored an and-one over him in crucial moments.

“It was the first stat line of its kind in the NBA since Bob McAdoo in 1974,” according to Basketball Network.

The 52-point performance vaulted Wembanyama's season scoring average to 29 points per game, which ranks fourth in the NBA.

In fantasy basketball terms, Wembanyama scored 110 points in Yahoo High Score formats, tying the record for the most in that format ever.

The previous record was held by Bam Adebayo's 83-point game from last season.

Nikola Jokic recorded a 30-point triple-double on the same night, his 90th in just three quarters, setting an all-time record.

Luka Doncic poured in another 40-point outing to surpass Michael Jordan for the best scoring start to a season.

Klay Thompson had 30 points, eight threes, and a game-winner.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went over 40 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

None of them managed to steal the night from Wembanyama.

Wembanyama's defensive technique has drawn particular attention this season.

He has developed a method of hanging on an opponent's hip and waiting for them to rise for their shot before jumping.

This ensures the shooter's attempt is not altered early, and Wembanyama uses his length to block the ball at the point of release.

It was a technique that led to a majority of his eight blocks on Wednesday.

The Spurs will face the Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers in their next two games.